Fashionable individuals commonly possess various types and items of jewelry that are designed to be worn in a specific manner. Repurposing jewelry is the process by which items of jewelry may be used in a different manner than the manner intended by the designer of the jewelry. Repurposing jewelry in this way allows a wearer to express her creativity and make unique or interesting aesthetic statements. Repurposing an item of jewelry also allows the owner of the item to save money by reusing an item already in her possession for a certain fashionable effect, instead of purchasing a new item of jewelry to achieve that fashionable affect. Repurposing an item of jewelry may reduce consumer waste in that items of jewelry that may have otherwise been discarded, forgotten, or never again used may be reused. Given these benefits, there is growing interest in repurposing jewelry and there is a need for items that assist individuals in repurposing jewelry.
In a basic sense, jewelry may be repurposed simply by wearing the jewelry in an unintended fashion. For example, a hair tie may be worn as a bracelet, a single earring may be affixed to an item of clothing as an adornment, or a pair of sunglasses could be worn on top of the head as a fashionable way to hold long hair out of the wearer's face. In other instances, an item may be repurposed by manipulating the item or combining the item with other items of jewelry. For example, a large earring could be attached to a chain in order to create a pendant necklace.
Certain items of jewelry may be particularly suitable for repurposing. Shank buttons are one such item. A jacket or sweater equipped with shank buttons may come with extra shank buttons, to be used in the event that one or more of the original shank buttons are lost. Extra shank buttons are frequently discarded, or are retained by their owner, but never used. Additionally, shank buttons are considered beautiful and are collected by many people, but one may have relatively few opportunities to wear a variety of shank buttons. Although it is common to repurpose shank buttons, such as by wearing them on a necklace, repurposing shank buttons can be difficult due to the weight of the shank button and the rigid shank-loop that protrudes from the rear of the shank button. If the loop of a shank button is attached to a flexible item such as a thread or a necklace, the weight of the button may pull the face of the shank button downward, producing an undesirable aesthetic. Securing a shank button such that the face of the button faces toward an observer may require sewing the button onto a piece of clothing, which has the disadvantages that sewing takes significant time and skill and permanently affixes the button to the clothing. Thus, there exists a need for a device and method that easily allows shank buttons to be fashionably and flexibly repurposed.
String-jewelry, such as flexible necklaces and bracelets, are popular items of jewelry and are sometimes repurposed. A necklace may be repurposed to be used as a multi-strand bracelet by looping the necklace over itself one or more times. However, if the multiple strands of the bracelet are not fastened to one another, the loops may spread apart on the arm, creating an undesirable aesthetic. Although items such as zip-ties may be used to hold together such strands, such items may not be fashionable, reusable, or easy to work with.
A fashionable individual may also wish to repurpose jewelry by creating new combinations and configurations of multiple pieces of a jewelry. For instance, it may be considered aesthetically pleasing to wear a bracelet fashioned from a repurposed necklace and combined with a distinctive shank button.
Others have recognized the advantage of repurposing jewelry and provided devices to assist in repurposing jewelry. U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,023 describes a multi-purpose pin which provides support for jewelry items, such that some items of jewelry may be repurposed. However, the pin of U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,023 only provides support for a few items of jewelry and cannot easily repurpose string-jewelry.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,036 describes a jewelry clasp that can secure two ends of a necklace and attach an additional item, such as a tassel or a bracelet, thereby repurposing the tassel or bracelet. However, the clasp of U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,036 is designed in the shape of a hollow, three-dimensional object and is therefore bulky and may result in an undesirable aesthetic. Because the securing means of the clasp are contained within a hollowed-out object, a shank button cannot be effectively secured and displayed.
Existing devices for repurposing jewelry have relatively limited functionality, meaning that it is necessary for an individual to obtain a wide range of such devices that allow repurposing of jewelry in different ways. There is thus a need for a device that provides multiple ways for jewelry to be repurposed.